Wakayama Medical University

Kanazawa University research: Sodium channel investigation

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, December 20, 2023

KANAZAWA, Japan, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications a high-speed atomic force microscopy study of the structural dynamics of sodium ion channels in cell membranes.

Key Points: 
  • KANAZAWA, Japan, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications a high-speed atomic force microscopy study of the structural dynamics of sodium ion channels in cell membranes.
  • An important open question is whether the voltage sensor domains dissociate from the pore domains when the channel closes.
  • One is the sodium channel of a particular bacterium (Arcobacter butzleri), the other two are mutants thereof.
  • In recent years, researchers at Kanazawa University have further developed HS-AFM so that it can be applied for studying biochemical molecules and biomolecular processes in real-time.

Kanazawa University research: Sodium channel investigation

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, December 20, 2023

KANAZAWA, Japan, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications a high-speed atomic force microscopy study of the structural dynamics of sodium ion channels in cell membranes.

Key Points: 
  • KANAZAWA, Japan, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications a high-speed atomic force microscopy study of the structural dynamics of sodium ion channels in cell membranes.
  • An important open question is whether the voltage sensor domains dissociate from the pore domains when the channel closes.
  • One is the sodium channel of a particular bacterium (Arcobacter butzleri), the other two are mutants thereof.
  • In recent years, researchers at Kanazawa University have further developed HS-AFM so that it can be applied for studying biochemical molecules and biomolecular processes in real-time.

Japan’s First Discovery*1 on Visceral Fat and Immune Activity in Joint Research by Kirin Holdings and Kao

Retrieved on: 
Friday, November 24, 2023

Visceral fat area: Based on a median value of 77 cm2 for all subjects, those with visceral fat less than 77 cm2 were defined as the low visceral fat group, and those with visceral fat greater than 77 cm2 as the high visceral fat group.

Key Points: 
  • Visceral fat area: Based on a median value of 77 cm2 for all subjects, those with visceral fat less than 77 cm2 were defined as the low visceral fat group, and those with visceral fat greater than 77 cm2 as the high visceral fat group.
  • For the first time in the world, this collaboration found that people with high visceral fat area levels had low pDC activity.
  • It was also suggested that visceral fat area and pDC activity, respectively, affect susceptibility to novel coronavirus infection and influenza, and that people with high visceral fat area and low pDC activity are particularly susceptible to these diseases.
  • Thus, it can be said that it is important for people with high visceral fat area values and low pDC activity to address both visceral fat mass and immune function.

Kanazawa University research: Ion channel block unraveled

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications how calcium ions can block sodium ion channels located in cell membranes.

Key Points: 
  • KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications how calcium ions can block sodium ion channels located in cell membranes.
  • Tetrameric ion channels are prone to 'divalent cation block', the blocking of the channel by ions like calcium (Ca2+).
  • Now, Takashi Sumikama from Kanazawa University in collaboration with Katsumasa Irie from Wakayama Medical University and colleagues has discovered the mechanism behind divalent cation block in NavAb, a well-known tetrameric sodium (Na) channel.
  • The structural basis of divalent cation block in a tetrameric prokaryotic sodium channel, Nature Communications 14, 4236 (2023).

Kanazawa University research: Ion channel block unraveled

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications how calcium ions can block sodium ion channels located in cell membranes.

Key Points: 
  • KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nature Communications how calcium ions can block sodium ion channels located in cell membranes.
  • Tetrameric ion channels are prone to 'divalent cation block', the blocking of the channel by ions like calcium (Ca2+).
  • Now, Takashi Sumikama from Kanazawa University in collaboration with Katsumasa Irie from Wakayama Medical University and colleagues has discovered the mechanism behind divalent cation block in NavAb, a well-known tetrameric sodium (Na) channel.
  • The structural basis of divalent cation block in a tetrameric prokaryotic sodium channel, Nature Communications 14, 4236 (2023).

Fujitsu and Wakayama Medical University start joint trials for millimeter-wave sensor to detect falls of elderly patients

Retrieved on: 
Monday, November 21, 2022

TOKYO, Nov 21, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu and Wakayama Medical University today announced the start of joint trials of a technology to support nurses and caregivers in visually monitoring patients in privacy-sensitive contexts, including hospital rooms and nursing facilities.

Key Points: 
  • TOKYO, Nov 21, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu and Wakayama Medical University today announced the start of joint trials of a technology to support nurses and caregivers in visually monitoring patients in privacy-sensitive contexts, including hospital rooms and nursing facilities.
  • Fujitsu will analyze data obtained through the trials and further refine its technology based on analysis results evaluated by Wakayama Medical University, drawing on the Wakayama Medical University's knowledge from the medical field.
  • Based on these results, the two parties aim to offer a millimeter-wave sensor service for privacy-conscious monitoring to hospitals and nursing facilities in fiscal 2023.
  • In fiscal 2021, the Japan Hospital Association(2) counted a total of 290 falls per month at 18 hospitals in Japan.

Kirin Holdings and Kao Begin Joint Research On The Relationship Between Visceral Fat and Immunology

Retrieved on: 
Friday, November 11, 2022

Kirin Holdings and Kao will jointly conduct research to investigate the relationship between visceral fat and the activity of plasma cytoid dendritic cells*2 (pDCs), a key leader of the immune system, among others.

Key Points: 
  • Kirin Holdings and Kao will jointly conduct research to investigate the relationship between visceral fat and the activity of plasma cytoid dendritic cells*2 (pDCs), a key leader of the immune system, among others.
  • This research aims to elucidate the relationship between visceral fat and pDC activity by combining Kirin Holdings' more than 35 years of research capabilities in the field of immunology with Kao's research capabilities in improving visceral fat accumulation, which is at the root of lifestyle-related diseases.
  • Kao will collect data on lifestyle habits and the amount of visceral fat, while Kirin Holdings will collect data on the activity of dendritic cells, including pDCs, in the blood.
  • These data will be mutually shared, and the relationship between visceral fat and pDC activity will be jointly studied and analyzed.